Rebirth: Slice-of-life Cultivation

"Light the fire quickly!"

Xue Yuantong was starving and urgently needed Jiang Ning's help.

Despite strangers being nearby, she remained unashamed. Jiang Ning had previously performed magic at school, which wasn't a skill to hide.

"Okay." Jiang Ning walked to the iron pot, while Xue Yuantong considerately moved a small stool for him to sit down and fully focus on his task.

Xue Chuchu, nearby, was watching closely, curious about Jiang Ning's magic.

She had never seen the magic of lighting a fire before.

The little girl eating seaweed widened her eyes; this group's picnic was different from others on the little grassland.

Jiang Ning stretched his hand under the pot, covering the wood. He activated his Spiritual Power, and a red flame suddenly ignited from his palm, quickly spreading beneath the pot.

"Be careful, it's hot!" Xue Chuchu hastily warned when Jiang Ning's hand got scorched by the fire.

"It's okay; he knows magic," Xue Yuantong wasn't worried about Jiang Ning, having seen him perform several times in private.

Jiang Ning casually withdrew his hand, and the branches beneath the pot blazed fervently.

The little girl, forgetting to eat her seaweed, and her father, were equally astounded.

"Dude, how did you light the fire, did you smear your hand with fuel?"

Xue Chuchu stared at Jiang Ning's hand, which looked normal in color with slender fingers — exceptionally pleasing to the eye.

Jiang Ning said, "Practice makes perfect."

After lighting the fire, Xue Yuantong had no time to talk and started cooking.

For cooking, she had specifically brought an apron, tied around her waist.

Xue Chuchu volunteered, "Let me tend the fire."

She used to live in the village, often cooking with clay pots; tending to the fire was effortless for her. She could manage the fire and even cook on the stove alone.

This was an almost essential skill for many girls from poor rural backgrounds.

Even if she had to work in the fields, Xue Chuchu could handle it, enduring the sweltering sun to weed peanuts all day.

"You tend to it then."

Jiang Ning didn't refuse; if he tended to the fire, he could make the flames more even, speeding up the cooking.

But letting Xue Chuchu busy herself was also fine.

He yielded his majestic small stool seat to Xue Chuchu.

Xue Chuchu picked a longer branch to use as a fire poker, stirring the fire beneath the pot to control the flames.

Xue Yuantong then lifted the lid, picked up a half bucket of oil, and poured it into the pot.

The little girl's father, intrigued by what he saw, felt he shouldn't stay any longer as they began cooking. What, should they share their meal with him after it was done?

Thus, he took his daughter and left, the little girl reluctantly looking back as they walked away.

The riverside area was quiet again with the three of them.

Xue Yuantong and Xue Chuchu cooked while Jiang Ning used his Spiritual Power to direct the smoke from the burning wood away, preventing it from bothering them.

With scallions and ginger among other ingredients in the pot, Xue Yuantong sat on a rock, wielding the spatula to fry the dishes.

Seeing the fire was about right, Jiang Ning dumped a basin of rabbit meat into the pot.

Xue Yuantong, exerting immense effort, stir-fried the rabbit with the spatula.

She felt her cooking skills could still improve, but her meager strength limited her advancement to becoming a top-tier chef.

Xue Yuantong resolved that she should continue to train to become stronger.

She considered asking Jiang Ning later that evening how to exercise the body scientifically.

Jiang Ning, being exceptionally strong, must know a lot.

Ideally, there would be a type of exercise that wouldn't be too hard yet effective in strengthening the body.

As Xue Yuantong strenuously stir-fried the rabbit meat, its scent wafted around, and she, already hungry, secretly swallowed her saliva.

She thought her action was discreet, believing she had concealed it from Jiang Ning and Chuchu.

After a while, she tossed mushrooms into the pot and continued cooking.

"Water can be added now," she said to Jiang Ning.

Nonchalantly, Jiang Ning grabbed a bucket of pure water and poured it into the pot while Xue Yuantong threw in some bamboo shoots.

Then, it was a matter of waiting for the pot to boil.

Waiting always seemed dreadfully long.

"Let's play cards," suggested Xue Yuantong, digging out a deck from a box.

The three of them were just the right number to play Fight the Landlord.

Listening to her, Xue Chuchu glanced at the burning firewood.

Jiang Ning noticed her concern and said,

"Just pay a bit more attention while we play. The pot still needs to simmer for a while; we can't just sit idle."

"Exactly, the sun is so nice; we really shouldn't waste it."

During the card game, she planned to sneakily eat some fruit. The mango, mulberry, and mangosteen Jiang Ning brought were exceptionally delicious; she wondered where he had sourced them.

Especially the mangoes, good for curbing hunger.

Just earlier, while Xue Yuantong was cooking and using a lot of physical energy, she almost couldn't handle the spatula and urgently needed nutrients.

Xue Chuchu still occupied the small stool, while the other two sat on a mat on the grass.

The sunshine was gentle, and a light spring breeze drifted by.

While Jiang Ning played cards for a while, his phone suddenly vibrated. He pulled it out; Geng Lu had sent a message:

"Have you arrived? I am playing right now. They're going to play Truth or Dare later, and I'm considering whether to join or not."

With one hand holding cards, Jiang Ning tapped on the screen with the other to reply,

"I've arrived, playing cards right now."

Xue Chuchu played a Xiao Wang.

Jiang Ning flicked his wrist, and a King fell.

Xue Yuantong watched Jiang Ning's smooth move and felt so unpolished by comparison.

In her case, one hand could barely hold the cards; she needed the other as support.

Compared to Jiang Ning, she felt hopelessly inadequate.

...

Little Grassland, South.

The grass was laid with neat, clean mats, groups of men and women chatting animatedly in several small clusters, quite a lively scene.

At the entrance of a simple tent, He Qingtang bumped Geng Lu and glanced at her chat screen due to their exceedingly close relationship; sharing chat histories was perfectly normal.

He Qingtang whispered, "Ask him where he is."